Illumination arrangement for photographic enlargers



Feb. 11, 1947. R. s. HOPKINS ILLUMINATION ARRANGEMENT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC ENLARGERS Filed May 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.1.

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Feb. 11, 1947. R, s, HoPKms ILLUMINATION ARRANGEMENT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC ENLARGERS Filed May 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FlG.6.

ROY S. HOPKINS INVENTOR BY 7 romyi Patented Feb. 11, 1947 UNITED s'rA'rss' PATENT OFF ICE ILLUMINATION ARRANGEMENT FOB PHOTOGRAPHIC ENLARGE-BS Roy S. Hopkins, Rochester, N. Y., assignorto Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 26, 1944, Serial No. 537,412

3 Claims.

. l The present invention relates to a photographic enlarger and more particularly to an improved 7 illuminating and reflecting system for a photographic enlarger. 1

It is well known that thereis considerable dimculty in manufacturing an enlarger having an eillcient and eflective light source and still providing even illumination over the copy board. In the past, efforts have been made to render the illumination uniform by diffusing mediums and differential diffusing mediums but obviously such diffusers seriously reduce the light available on the copy board. Another manner of endeavoring to obtain proper illumination for an enlarger has been to place the light source outside the field of the lens but this has introduced other complications either in the form of the enlarger or its reflectors.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a photographic enlarger having an annular light source and having a reflector with an annular ellipsoidal surface composed of arcs of ellipses each having one focus substantially at the center of the lens and the other focus substantially at the annular light source.

Another object of the invention is the provisionof an enlarger lamphouse containing an annular" light source having a toroidal light emitting envelope and including an annular ellipsoidal surface for uniformly directing all of the available light from the annular light source to the obiective lens of the enlarger. y

A- further object of the invention is the provision of a photographic enlarger comprising a lamphouse containing an annular light source located outside of the' field of the objective lens and containing an annular ellipsoidalreflecton having one focus of its ellipses substantially at the annular light source and the other focus of said ellipse substantially at the center of the lens.

Other and further objects of the invention will be suggested'to those skilled in the art by the description which follows:

The above and other objects of the invention are embodied in a photographic comprising a lamphouse havinga wall provided with a light opening, an objective lens spaced from the lamphouse and having an optical axis extending therethrough, an annular light source thereinwith its radial center substantially on saidlovpticalaxisandhavingacrosssectionaleenterforming a circle around said axlsfand an annular reflecting surface'inthelamphouse composed of arcsofellipses,each-ofwhlchhasonefocussub- 2. focus substantially at the annular light source. The annular reflecting surface preferably has a diameter greater than that of the annular light source but less than the chord subtending the angle between the major axes of a pair of diametrically opposed ellipses for forming the ellipsoidal surface.

Reference is hereby made to'the acco panying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar elements and wherein,

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through the lamphouse according to the invention and taken on the line l--l of Fig. 2. r

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the piigtiographic enlarger and taken on the line 2-! o g. 1. r

" Fig. 3 is a cross section through the annular light sourceand taken on the line 3-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragm'entaryJongitudinal section through said annular light source taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. g

H 5 is a perspective, with sections broken away, showing another form of annular light nular light source. Although such elements are present in most forins of enlargers, the arrangement of the annular light source and the annular ellipsoidal reflector constitute the principal subject matter of the present invention.

The lamphouse is preferably cylindrical in form and may be supported from a standard in any known fashion. The lamphouse comprises a lower wall or support It provided with an opening ii andwith a depending portion i2 encircling said opening ii. A cylindrical side wall it is mounted in any suitable manner upon support II and may constitute a support or mount for the reflecting member later to be described. A negative carrier it may be slidably mounted in the usual way upon the lower part of the lamphouse or within the depending portion I! of lower support il. Such negative carrier preferably instantiallyatthecenterof-tbelensandtbeother ll cludesaflxedglassplatenilheldinthecarrler b frame l6. 4 Any known means or technique may be used for holding the photographic negative fiat in the negative carrier H.

An objective assembly comprises an objective lens 11, preferably composed of several elements and preferably mounted in a lens barrel i8 having a collar l 8. The objective assembly is mounted in a known manner in adjustable spaced relation to the lamphouse and a collapsible bellows has one end attached to the collar IQ of thetheless, an incandescent or other form of lamp is satisfactory from the viewpoint of illumination or light emission, particularly when frosted or opal glass envelopes are used. The light source as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, is the preferred form of annular fluorescent lamp comprising an annular glass envelope 22 provided internally in a known manner with a fluorescent coating 23 and having electrodes 24 and 25. A transparent partition 26 is placed. between said electrodes 24 and and a pair of leads 2'! and 28 extends from electrode 24 and a pair of leads 2!! extends from electrode 25 for connection to the usual auxiliary apparatus for operation of fluorescent lamps. Specifically, the glass envelope 22 has a pair of depending tubes 3| and 32, respectively, contain- 4 its center forming another circle around the optical axis 0-0.

' The reflecting member according to the invention comprises an annular ellipsoidalsurface I! having a cusp 38 substantially upon the optical axis OO. Said ellipsoidal surface 31 may be attached to a flanged ring 39 fitting into and engaging the upper edge of. the cylindrical side wall I3. Although the ellipsoidal surface 31 is herein sometimes referred to as a surface of revolution, it shall be understood that said surface 31 may be made in any suitable fashion as by spinning, turning, stamping, molding, etc. The most efficient form of said ellipsoidal surface 31 is that wherein each elliptical arc of said surface 31 is part of an ellipse having one focus substantially at the center of the lens and having the other focus substantially at the annular light source.

In Fig. 2 the form ofthe ellipses including such arcs are shownin dotted lines. The ellipse E1 has its major axis a--a extending through the center 0 of objective lens I1 and through the center 0' on the circular center of the annular light source. The ellipse E: has its major axis a'-a' extending through the center 0 of objective lens I1 and through the center 0 of the annular light source. As a result, one focus of ellipse E1 is at the center c of objective lens I! and its other focus is at the center 0 of the annular light source. Also, one focus of the ellipse E2 is at the center 0 of objective lens I1 and its other focus is at the center 0" of the annular light source. The annular ellipsoidal surface 31 may also be considered as generated by revolution of the ellipse E1 or the ellipse E2 around a conical surface defined by the major axes aa and a'a of said ellipses.

ing insulating and sealing plugs 33 and 34, covered by caps 35 and 36 and through which the respective pair of leads'2'l and 28 and pair of leads 29 extend. The annular light sourceor its transparent or glass envelope 22 is mounted upon the support III in any suitable mannerpas by brackets or 'supports,-,or may be simplylaid'upon the support l0. The tubes 3i and 32 extend through corresponding holes in the support .IO and may serve as iocating means for the lamp.

The arrangement 'of the annular light source with respect to the opening II. in the lower wall or support ID of the lamphouse and/or with respect to the opening in negative carrier I4 is such that no direct rays from the light source reach the objective lens IT. This effective placement of the light source outside of the field of the lens eliminates any hot spots in the illuminated area.

The essence of. the invention resides in the .direction of the light from the annular light.

source, through the photographic negative on the negative carrier l4 and through the objective reflect light rays back into the annular light, I

lens ll. Are'rnarkably eflicient reflector for this purpose. comprises an annular ellipsoidal surface The diameter of the annular ellipsoidal surface 31 should preferably, as shown, begreater thanthe diameter of the annular light source. However, the diameter need not be greater or even equal to the chord subtending the angle between the axes H and a'--a' because any reflecting surface between the points a or a and the outer edge of the ellipsoidal surface 31 would merely source or into the lower wall or support 10. The

. ellipsoidal'surface 3,1 as shown by the rays 1 directs all light rays from the center of the annular light source to the center of the objective len ll.

Likewise, other rays emanating from the annular light source are directed to the objective lens l'l,

although the path of the light ray is not from focu to focus of the ellipse. fact also permits some latitude, particularly 1 production, in the locationof the annular light source with respect t the ellipsoidal surface. i In other words, the improved results of the invention will be obtained even though the upper foci of the ellipses forming the ellipsoidal surface 31 are only substantial ly at the annular light source or within its radial cross section. v

The annular light source may also be provided as a circular incandescent/lamp. Such circular incandescent lamp comprises a glass envelope 40 preferably frosted or of opal glass and containing a filament 4| mounted within the envelope 4!] on supports 42. For connection to a. source of elec-, tricity onev end of filament 4| is connected to a. lead 43 and its cther end is connected to a lead 44. A depending projection 45, which may be blown'out of the glass of envelope 40 encloses a sealing and insulating plug 46 through which the leads 4: and 44 extend. The circular light source may also haveother forms such as individual Obviously, the illuminating and reflecting system of the invention is capable of other .variations than those stated herein and the present dis- .closure i to be construed in an illustrative sense.

The scope of the invention is defined by the claims which follow. I r

Havingnow particularly described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what I claim is:

1. A photographic enlargercomprising a lamphouse, anobjective lens spaced therefrom and having an optical axis extending through said lamphouse, an annular'light source within said lamphouse, encircling said axis and: having a radial cross section, an intermediate member between said light source and lens and for preventing any direct rays from said light source to said lens, and a circular reflecting member in said lamphouse, having an ellipsoidal surface of revolution composed of arcs of ellipses each of which has its major axis extending through said lens and light source,and having a diameter greater than that of said light source and less than the chord subtending the angle between the major axes of diametrically opposed ellipses.

x 2. A photographic enlarger comprising a lamphouse,- an objective lens spaced therefrom and having an optical axis extending through said lamphouse, an annular light source in said lamphouse, having it radial center substantially on said axisand having its cross sectional center located in a circle around said axis, and a reflecting member in said lamphouse entirely on the side of the light source opposite said lens, having an ellipsoidal surfacesymmet'rical with respect to said axis and composed of arcs of ellipses each of which has its major axis extending through said lens and light source, and having a diameter greater than that of said light source and less than thechord subtending the angle between the major axes of diametrically opposed ellipses.

3. A photographic enlarger comprising a lamphouse. having a wall provided with a light opening, an objective lens spaced therefrom and having an optical axis extending through said opening. and lamphouse, an annular light source in said lamphouse, having its radial center substantially on said axis and having it cross sectional center forming a circle around said axis, and an annular reflecting surface in said lamphouse, composed of arcs of ellipses having their major axes extending through said lens and substantially through the cross sectional center of said light source, the diameter of said reflecting surface being. greater than the diameter of said annular light source and less than the chord subtending the angle between the major axes of a pair of diametrically opposed ellipses.

ROY S. HOPKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,275,120 Bellman et a1 Aug. 6, 1918 1,844,179 Rennick Feb. 9, 1932 1,341,674 'Rhodin June 1, 1920 2,181,305 Myer Nov. 28, 1939 1,763,630 Hopkins June 10, 1930 2,342,115 Blauvelt Feb. 22, 1944 2,001,378 Cornwall May 14, 1935 1,935,729 Rosenbaum Nov. 21, 1933 2,189,577 Conrad Feb. 6, 1940 

